Anonymous wrote:A 12 year old is too young to watch two children without another adult in the house. MAYBE, maaaybe, if she was only watching one child, who she already was familiar with, who was between 2.5 years old and 6 years old, then MAYBE it would be okay (but still illegal? I'm pretty sure she would have to be 13 or 14 before it was legal). But if you have a child under 2 that would be difficult, if you have a child over 6 that would be difficult (they might see her as more of a peer and not listen to her like they would to an adult), and having two children together with a 12 year old?? No way, absolutely not.
I am a nanny, and a family I babysit for occasionally, who has a 2 year old and a 5 year old, had a piece of paper drawn in crayon, sitting on their kitchen table when I arrived a couple months ago. It was a "coupon for babysitting," given to their mother by a 12 year old neighbor. I remarked about how cute it was (she obviously had had fun drawing it, complete with teddy bears and smiley faces), and the mother laughed and said "yeah, maybe I'll take her up on that in a few years." I'm sorry, but no matter how earnest and "mature" this twelve year old is, she is NOT equipped to handle two kids all by herself!
Another nanny trying to overstate how hard her job is. =/